Arakita Yasutomo
Arakita Yasutomo is a third year student at Hakone Academy and a member of the cycling club there. He is an all-rounder and often works as Fukutomi's assist in races. Appearance In the past, Arakita styled his hair into a pompadour, but he cut it off shortly after his first run-in with Fukutomi. His hair was quite short afterwards, but his bangs have grown out into his current hairstyle. He is easily identifiable by the eyelashes on his lower eyelids and his expressive mouth, which is often open wide enough to see his gums. Personality Arakita has a bad mouth and is a competitive cyclist. He adds "-chan" onto the names or nicknames of certain people (Fukutomi, Onoda, Manami), a habit that doesn't seem to match his otherwise gruff behavior. The meaning behind these nicknames is unclear, but they appear to be more playful than derogatory. Arakita often complains about being tired or overworked, but he still pushes himself to his limits in races. Plot Arakita used to be a baseball player with a bright future, but he was unable to continue down this path due to an elbow injury. Feeling cynical, he decided to go to Hakone Academy, a school without a baseball club. He was disappointed and angry at the world and ended up lashing out at Fukutomi when they happened to meet. Fukutomi introduced Arakita to the world of cycling, and after a rough start, Arakita found his passion. He became a skilled, though quite reckless, cyclist who works well with Fukutomi. On the first day of the Inter High, he worked as an assist to Fukutomi, and he faced Machimiya on the third day. After graduating, he began attending Yonan University, where he joined the bicycle club along with Sohoku's Kinjou. Skills and Techniques Arakita can ride at dangerous angles, even leaning over far enough to brush against the guardrail that runs along the road. He may just seem to be disregarding his safety, but this riding style is a testament to his skill. Relationships Fukutomi Juichi Arakita and Fukutomi had a disastrous first meeting, as Arakita insulted Fukutomi and even physically assaulted him. Arakita later came to respect Fukutomi, saying that Fukutomi is the only one he "acknowledges." During their first meeting, Fukutomi challenged Arakita to a race in response to Arakita insulting bikes. Arakita accepted, confident that he win with his moped, but Fukutomi easily overtook him. This caused Arakita to develop an interest in bicycles. He later stole Fukutomi's bike to practice on, but kept falling off. Fukutomi appeared while Arakita was practicing and said that Arakita needed to ride while looking forward. Arakita grudgingly took Fukutomi's advice and learned to ride, developing impressive skills along the way. It is implied that Fukutomi gave his old bike to Arakita, as he told Arakita he could either return it or bring it with him and join the club. Other club members were worried that Arakita would just run off with the bike, but Fukutomi insisted that Arakita would return with it. As he predicted, Arakita did return, determined to become faster and climb to the top of the cycling world. Fukutomi told him that this "top" was the Inter High, so Arakita vowed to compete there. Over the years, the two developed a more friendly relationship, and Arakita often works as an assist to Fukutomi during races. In the past, Arakita called Fukutomi "Iron Mask" (tekkamen), but he currently has a nicer nickname for him: "Fuku-chan." Onoda Sakamichi Machimiya Eikichi Kuroda Yukinari Arakita and Kuroda's first meeting almost ended in a fistfight, but Arakita held back because Fukutomi helped reform his behavior. Arakita told Kuroda that, despite his athleticism, he was not cut out for cycling. Of course, this was a great insult to Kuroda, who succeeded at every other sport. Kuroda later came to respect Arakita a great deal, and it appears that Arakita thinks Kuroda has become quite skilled. Kinjou Shingo Arakita and Kinjou later attend the same university. They seem to get along well enough. Trivia ;Likes : Meat : Soft drinks (Bepsi) : Is a cat lover ;Talents : Turning corners on his moped ;People he hates : People who tell others to "hang in there!" Gallery R.I.P pompadour.png| First year Arakita cutting off his hair college arakita.png| Arakita in college Category:Male Characters Category:Hakone Academy Bicycle Club Category:Blood type: A Category:Students Category:Cyclists Category:All-rounders